It is estimated that over 30 million musculoskeletal injuries occur every year in the United States. It is believed that over 50% of these injuries involve soft tissue tears (e.g., tendons). Unfortunately, some of these tissues will re-tear after surgical repair. For example, rotator cuff surgery has a very high rate of re-tearing (estimated at between about 20-70%). Conventionally, surgeons repair the tendons based on experience and “feel”. Various tissue grasper devices used to repair tendons are known but there remains a need for devices that can effectively measure and hold proper tension in order to promote healing of skeletal muscle and reduce the incidence of re-injury.